Jeffersonville port opens consultant bidding for intermodal-yard design

Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville is seeking proposals for design and permitting work on a proposed intermodal yard, creating a new planning milestone for the port’s larger expansion. Proposals for project JF-2026-C3 are due Aug. 14, 2026, at 4 p.m. Eastern.

The request for proposals does not mean construction has started, and it does not show that a consultant has been selected. The current procurement is for professional services related to the yard’s design and permitting.

What the RFP covers

The RFP identifies Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville, at 1402 Port Road in Jeffersonville, as the submission location. It describes the project as an intermodal yard in Clark County, Indiana, and assigns project number JF-2026-C3.

Ports of Indiana is seeking proposals from consultants to perform the design and permitting work described in the proposal documents. The agency says it intends to award the contract to the consultant that best meets the qualifications listed in the RFP.

No consultant award is documented in the available records. The records also do not establish the yard’s final size, construction cost or construction start date.

How it connects to the port expansion

The intermodal-yard work is connected to a broader $32 million expansion at Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville. The expansion is supported by a $25 million federal BUILD grant announced in July.

According to Ports of Indiana, the broader project includes a 300-ton crane system, a 6,500-square-foot dock and a 22,000-square-foot warehouse. The grant announcement also said the expansion is expected to be completed in 2028.

The grant announcement described additional goals, including increased lift capacity and expanded barge-to-rail transloading. Those plans provide background for the current RFP, but the documents do not establish that every project element is under construction.

What happens next

Interested firms must submit proposals electronically or by delivery to Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville by 4 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 14. The notice states that the deadline is firm.

After the procurement process, the next significant milestones will include any consultant selection, completion of design work and permitting decisions. Later records would be needed to confirm whether construction is authorized, when it could begin and how the work will be scheduled.

What remains unknown

The current records do not state the intermodal yard’s final dimensions, a separate construction budget, the date construction could begin or the number of jobs the yard might create. They also do not document a completed consultant award.

For freight operators, businesses and Jeffersonville residents, the practical takeaway is that the port expansion has reached a new procurement step. Future design, permitting and construction records will determine how the proposed yard develops and what local effects, if any, follow.

Sources

• Ports of Indiana intermodal-yard request for proposal
• Louisville Business First report on the Jeffersonville port grant